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Connecting Spin and Statistics in Quantum Mechanics

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Physics is simple but subtle

Paul Ehrenfest

Abstract

The spin-statistics connection is derived in a simple manner under the postulates that the original and the exchange wave functions are simply added, and that the azimuthal phase angle, which defines the orientation of the spin part of each single-particle spin-component eigenfunction in the plane normal to the spin-quantization axis, is exchanged along with the other parameters. The spin factor (−1)2s belongs to the exchange wave function when this function is constructed so as to get the spinor ambiguity under control. This is achieved by effecting the exchange of the azimuthal angle by means of rotations and admitting only rotations in one sense. The procedure works in Galilean as well as in Lorentz-invariant quantum mechanics. Relativistic quantum field theory is not required.

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  1. Alumnus, Technical University Berlin, Voßstr. 9, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Arthur Jabs

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Correspondence to Arthur Jabs.

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Extended version of a talk given at the international workshop on theoretical and experimental aspects of the spin-statistics connection and related symmetries (SpinStat2008), Trieste, Italy, 21–25 October 2008.

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Jabs, A. Connecting Spin and Statistics in Quantum Mechanics. Found Phys 40, 776–792 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10701-009-9351-4

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